Julian Edelman hopes to replicate his success with Tom Brady_BINARY_1827383

Monday

Jul 28, 2014 at 10:34 AM

FOXBORO – In his first four seasons with the Patriots, Julian Edelman caught 69 passes on 118 targets from Tom Brady. Last year, he finished the season with 105 receptions on 151 targets.

Mark Daniels Journal Sports Writer MarkDanielsPJ

FOXBORO – In his first four seasons with the Patriots, Julian Edelman caught 69 passes on 118 targets from Tom Brady. Last year, he finished the season with 105 receptions on 151 targets.

Getting on the same page as the Patriots’ future Hall of Fame quarterback isn’t easy for any receiver. Turning into his go-to receiver when you’re a former seventh-round pick who played quarterback at Kent State is probably even harder, but last year, Edelman did just that.

Edelman’s journey from college quarterback to 1,000-yard receiver hasn’t been without hard work. On Sunday, the 28-year-old said he enters training camp with confidence after having his first real taste of success, but knows he needs to keep working if he wants to replicate the success.

When asked how tough it is to earn Brady’s trust, Edelman didn’t hold back.

“It’s pretty tough. I’m not going to lie,” Edelman said. “When you play with a guy that’s been here for so long, been through same system, played with a lot of phenomenal players, a lot of great players in the past, he’s expected a lot because he’s seen it done. It’s tough and the way you earn his trust is just going out there and being consistent, always improving, seeing what he sees, being on the same page, and I’m trying to go out there this year and earn that trust again.”

With Rob Gronkowski out for most of last season, Edelman turned into Brady’s security blanket and produced with a career-high 1,056 receiving yards. Brady targeted Edelman 32 times in 2012. It took him only three games to surpass that last season.

The spike in production also happened to come in his contract year. This offseason he was rewarded with a four-year, $17-million deal.

Things happen quickly in the NFL. Edelman never got a chance to sit back and think about how far he’s come, or the fact he was finally the No. 1 option.

“You don’t even think about that,” Edelman said. “You just think about being on the same page with him. When you are and things are going well, you’re thinking about that play and you’re thinking about the scenario or the situation you’re in. You’re just thinking about what’s going on that play or the next play.”

It doesn’t take long to see the confidence in Edelman. You can see it when he plays, when he argues with Brady on the field, or in any of his YouTube videos on burgers or smoothies. That confidence only grew from last season.

“Yeah, I guess it does. Confidence is built through execution and in practice when you do it consistently,” Edelman said. “When you’re out there and you’re consistently doing the right assignment, making a play, doing what you have to do at a high rate, that’s when you go out and you play your fastest and you play your most confident.”